Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb galloped 1 1/4 miles under exercise rider Jenn Patterson at Belmont Park Friday morning, looking the picture of a happy, healthy horse ready to take on the challenge of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 18.

"He came out of it fine. He's sound. Physically, everything is fine," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "We'll get him up the road and evaluate the situation to see where we'll go."

McGaughey didn't have a concrete explanation for Orb's surprisingly dull performance as the 3-5 favorite that followed a sharp, dominating 2 1/2-length victory two weeks earlier at Churchill Downs.

"The racetrack was probably deep down the inside there. There was a lot of throwback. We couldn't get to the outside. I thought he was in good position and he took him to the right position, and all of a sudden he had no horse. Why that was, I don’t know," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "I think it wasn't our day and it was Oxbow's day."

Saturday's disappointment in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown only made McGaughey appreciate the Derby victory even more.

"Winning the Derby was my lifelong dream. We won it. I would have loved to win (Saturday) to take it to the next level, so I do appreciate how tough it is," McGaughey said. "If I have the opportunity again (to compete in the Derby), I may cherish it even more, because I've seen how tough it is to get it done. Maybe, I do appreciate how tough it is to win more. As brilliant as we were two weeks ago, we weren't as brilliant yesterday."

McGaughey will monitor Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable's homebred colt's training at Belmont Park before deciding his status for the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 8.

"I want to see him bounce back and see his soundness level and his energy level," he said. "I think there are a lot of good wins down the road for him."

"He took a nice little hold of Jenn, was right on with his leads and moved over the track great, so I couldn't be more pleased with what I saw," McGaughey said.

Orb has pleased his trainer every day since he captured the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths. While training at Belmont, where he produced an eye-catching half-mile workout on Monday, and since arriving at Pimlico Monday afternoon, Orb has given his trainer the same signals he gave off during his pre-Derby training.

"I think it's been every bit as good. I think maybe his work at Belmont was even better. Since he's gotten down here, he's really, really settled in well," McGaughey said. "He's been eating really well. I'm very pleased with his appearance and everything is on 'go.'"

Orb, who is the even-money favorite for the nine-horse Preakness, has boosted his trainer's confidence in his chances to add the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown to his resume. McGaughey, however, isn't counting the winner's share of the $1 million purse just yet.

"There are a lot of ways to lose, as we all know. Freaky things can happen. I think we're in the position where we can kind of dictate the race and hope, if we don't get in trouble, that he can make his run and then see what happens," McGaughey said. "We hope he doesn't get in trouble; we hope he handles the track; we hope he handles the kickback of dirt; we hope he handles the day. If he does all that, I would have to think it's going to take a pretty darn good horse to beat him."

If there has been anything that could possibly be perceived as a negative for Orb, it's probably his No. 1 post position that may hold at least the slight potential to get him trapped inside.

"I don't think it's a problem. I think he'll be fine; it's a long distance," said jockey Joel Rosario, who rode Orb to victory at Churchill Downs two weeks ago.

Rosario's flawless ride in the Derby did nothing but boost McGaughey's faith in his jockey's big-race ability.

"I don't know if anyone could have ridden him better. He got him over a little bit to get around the first turn without losing a whole lot of ground. He held his position there, got him to the outside and was very patient with him," McGaughey said. "Being that far back, you might want to move a little bit quicker than you want to and hang. But he was very patient and he told me he was relaxed and got into the flow of the race very well and 'was just waiting on me.'"

McGaughey said he wouldn't give Rosario detailed instructions on how to ride Orb in the Preakness.

"I'm a man of very little instructions, because you never know what's going to happen once the gate opens," he said. "We will talk a little bit, but the biggest thing I'll tell him is, 'Ride him with confidence.'"Winning the Kentucky Derby for the first time realized a career-long dream, but McGaughey isn't ready to rest on his laurels.

"I think winning the Derby does take a little pressure off you," he said. "But I also think that we're excited about giving him a whirl tomorrow afternoon and see if we can't get it done so we can go on to the next step."

"It's a huge sense of pride. I've been out here most mornings before the Preakness for most of my life, so it's great to bring this horse here," the Butler, Md., resident and chairman of Bessemer Trust Company said. "I'm proud of him."

Janney and the Phipps Stable bred and campaign Orb, who captured the Derby by 2 1/2 lengths with a 17th-to-first performance. The Janney family and the Phipps family have had a longstanding history in horse ownership and association with McGaughey.

"We've been doing this for the last 20 years together. Some they own entirely. Some I own entirely. I think we'd all say that we're very glad we were together at the Kentucky Derby and lucky enough to win it with a horse that we happened to own together," Janney said. "I said after the race, 'Shug was very clever to do that so that he didn't have one owner that was ecstatic and another owner who was less than ecstatic.'"

Orb produced the first Kentucky Derby success for Janney, Phipps and McGaughey.

"It was maybe a feeling of relief that it's actually happening. I thought we went to Churchill with the best horse. You never know. There are a lot of reasons that the best horse doesn't always win. Rain was one of them," Janney said. "But I did feel a huge sense of relief when he crossed the finish line and a great feeling of elation."

Orb, who has been installed as the even-money favorite for Saturday's 138 Preakness Stakes (G1), jogged at Pimlico Thursday morning before galloping a mile under exercise rider Jenn Patterson.

"Today I just wanted to see how he was moving and how he got over the racetrack," McGaughey said. "I'm very pleased with what I saw."

The Hall of Fame trainer said he didn't lose any sleep over Orb drawing the No. 1 post position at Wednesday's draw.

"It doesn't bother me. The '1' is different here than it is at Churchill. The race starts at the three-sixteenths pole here and it's a straight shot," McGaughey said. "We'll be fine. If I got to pick it out, that wouldn't have been what I picked, but I'm not worried about it."

Noting the nine-horse field of the Preakness, McGaughey expressed full confidence in jockey Joel Rosario, who rode Orb to victory against 18 rivals at Churchill Downs.

"I think he'll get a good spot in the race with the speed outside of him. I think Joel will get him where he wants him to be and we'll take it from there. That's all you can do," McGaughey said. "The same thing in the Derby, I thought he had him in a good place. Before he asked him to run, I began to think, 'Are you too far back?' But when he pushed the button, I knew we were going to be a factor. I didn't know if he would win, but I knew he'd be a factor. I think we'll see the same thing Saturday."

McGaughey continues to adhere to the "if it happens, it happens" attitude he maintained during Derby week.

"I think if he goes over and runs his race, I'm quietly confident that he'll be tough to beat," McGaughey said. "It's just like I was at the Derby. I was quietly confident all week that he was going to run his race and if that was good enough, it would be good enough. I feel the same this time."

Wednesday, May 15 -- Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable's Orb got well acquainted with his new surroundings at Pimlico Race Course Wednesday morning. The Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, who arrived from Belmont Park on Monday and walked the shedrow of the Preakness Stakes Barn Tuesday, made his first appearance on the racetrack at approximately 6 a.m.

The Shug McGaughey-trained 3-year-old colt prepared for a start in the 138th Preakness Stakes (G1) by jogging once around the racetrack under exercise rider Jenn Patterson while accompanied by a pony.

"Everything was really good. He turned and jogged the wrong way. He was moving really well and full of energy. He appears to be settled in back here and I’m pleased with what I see," said McGaughey while his Derby winner grazed in the grassy area near the Preakness Stakes Barn.

The son of Malibu Moon followed up his early-morning activity with a visit to Pimlico's indoor paddock, where McGaughey plans to saddle him instead of the customary Preakness saddling area on the turf course. Orb walked around the saddling area under the cover of the grandstand and stood quietly in a stall while being attended to by Patterson, whose work with the likely Preakness favorite has received high praise from McGaughey.

"Without her, we wouldn't be here. It's not only her riding ability, it's her horsemanship and dedication to the whole thing," said McGaughey, who detailed the many miles logged and hours worked by Patterson while working with Orb in Florida and Kentucky. "Nobody will know how much I appreciate her and what I think of her and her abilities. The rapport we have between each other ... I think it's a pretty remarkable relationship."

Orb, who came to Pimlico riding a five-race winning streak, including a 2 1/2-length Kentucky triumph on May 4, has amazed his trainer with his development.

"I think there's more there. What really surprises me is how he comes out of his races, not only mentally, but physically," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "I looked at him just a second ago with the blanket off of him. Looking from behind, the sun was shining on him, and I was looking at a different horse than I saw a week ago and two weeks ago.

"His work at Belmont on Monday was something I had never seen, maybe before -- the way he finished up with very little urging, if any; the way he was striding out and the way he was holding his leads. He's sure come a long ways since the Florida Derby. I think there's more there, but he's got to tell us that. I can't wait to run him on Saturday afternoon and, maybe we'll see something special."

A victory on Saturday would put Orb in line to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first since Affirmed (1978) with a triumph in the Belmont Stakes (G1). McGaughey admitted that that thought has crossed him mind.

"I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said, 'No.' I try to block it out, but if you're in this position, anybody would think about it. Of course, you get reminded of it quite often," McGaughey said. "It's a thrilling thought, but we've got to get by Saturday. If we get by Saturday, it'll be quite an interesting three weeks."

"I think it's a big responsibility to accommodate what's out there and try to portray what the win means to all of us -- myself and my family, the Janneys and Phippses and their families and all the people at the barn," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "I'd like to get it out there to people that racing can be a fun and rewarding sport."

Orb, who captured the Derby by 2 1/2 lengths a week ago, is scheduled to breeze at Belmont Park Monday morning, as long as the track at Belmont dries out.

"I think it will be fine. The sun's out, there’s no humidity and the wind's picking up. I think it'll be fine," said McGaughey, who is planning to ship Orb to Pimlico Monday following the scheduled breeze.